8 Weird Phobias You Should Know About

September 16, 2017

We are all scared of something in our lives. While some of us are just afraid of common things like heights, loneliness or ghosts, there are some fears that really go high on the weird scale. The field of psychology has categorized these fears into several different phobias. Trust us when we say that all of them are real and they do affect more than just one random person. Here are 8 weird phobias that you should know about:Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns

Let?s be honest – clowns have been a part of many horror movies. For some reason, the directors and writers think it is extremely scary to see a clown in an empty, dim-lit room.

Even though clowns are mainly associated with circuses, which in the 90s were still a symbol of happiness, a lot of people have reported that they are in fact scared of clowns. And this list also includes music mogul P. ?Sean? Diddy and Johnny Depp.

Chiclephobia – Fear of chewing gum

Gum seems to be a go-to for many people to get out of an awkward situation where they would have otherwise been expected to talk. It?s also a very easy way to get rid of bad breath, but for some people gum means horror. And it?s not the chewing part, it?s the getting rid of the gum part.

Once you are done with a chewing gum, you throw it away. It could stick to someone?s clothes, shoes or worse, their hair. And this is where the phobia lies. Believe it or not, even Oprah Winfrey is scared of chewing gums.

Eisoptrophobia – Fear of one?s own reflection

It is the fear of mirrors and it is mainly caused by physical insecurities and body image issues. And we also think, people suffering from this phobia would have a huge problem taking selfies.

Botanophobes – Fear of plants

Yes, these are the same plants that are the reason human race is alive on planet Earth. These are the plants that provide us with oxygen to survive, and yet some people are scared of them.

But it?s not necessary that people with this phobia might be afraid of all the plants, they might just be afraid of a small section of plants.

The phobia in most cases is triggered due to a bad childhood memory ? may be a brush with a poison ivy or a plant that reminds them of a long lost one.

Chronophobia – Fear of passing time

Chronophobia is the fear of the future or the fear of passing time. Of course, everybody at least once in their lives are scared of the future, but that does not mean they have this phobia.

People suffering from this phobia are in constant and irrational fear of the passing time. This is mostly found in the prison population and people in old age. Chronophobia can trigger obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks.

Trypophobia – Fear of holes

The term Trypophobia was actually coined on the internet by an Irish woman but it really took off in 2009 when the term got popular and many people started claiming to have it.

This is not just a fear of holes, but also bumps, clusters, pores and circles. For instance, the pores found on a lotus seeds have been claimed to cause anxiety in a lot of people.

Aibohphobia – Fear of palindromes

This is another phobia which was coined on the internet itself, and does sound too weird to be true. But, it is in fact a phobia.

A palindrome a word that is spelled the same from both forward and backwards. For instance, civic, kayak or level. The funny part is Aibohphobia is itself a palindrome. It definitely did not take too long to coin this phobia.

Heliophobia – Fear of the sun

This phobia might also be something that the vampires suffered with. If you have heliophobia, then you might experience dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, dry mouth or palpitations in the sun.

Some connect this with the heat and the temperature but that is not the reason. Phobia lies in your head, and if you do have the fear of the sun then you will start getting anxiety even before getting out in the sun.